This week in our Reformation Survey, we look at probably the most controversial of our reformers: John Calvin. Today, there are plenty of pro and anti-Calvinists partisans, but who exactly was Calvin? How was Calvin important to the Reformation? Why was Calvin kicked out of Geneva? Why did he go back? Did Calvin really kill a heretic? And what would Calvin think about those who label themselves “Calvinist” today? We’ll look at these questions and more as we consider Calvin’s fascinating life and ministry.
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is that a question yes enjoy identify these four men for us I can’t remember which one is whisper Yahoo right best so one of these accountants I think it goes the 120 counting second to the left yeah I think of calvess that’s a few yes a long period I think next to his waiver else and we’ll talk about today next to him on the edge of the screen and then I think the one who comes back you’re Calvin theodore beza I think maybe he will not care okay yeah yeah not enough and I think maybe bases on the other one things with the name right so it was not a random set of four figures in stone these are performers that’s why it’s my backdrop but we should get started so please find your places welcome back to our summer reparation survey last week we talked about over-wing Lee the preacher who while Luther was leading Reformation in Germany was at the same time leading Reformation in Switzerland but now becomes the man whose name has become nearly synonymous with reformed theology and that man is John Calvin Calvin was a second generation reporter he really came after the ministries of Luther and Zwingli so he wasn’t there in the beginning or right at the beginning why do we hear so much about Calvin and Calvinism today well the reason is the same for why we talked so much about Augustine he wasn’t one of the first theologian but like Augustine Calvin was a great thinker and a great systematize Irv got true though Calvin’s theology was very similar to Ling Lee’s and even Luther’s in some respects it’s the way that Calvin articulated that theology that makes the sink of reformed theology as Calvinism day very eloquently and very effectively summarized in system true truth of the divine nature Calvin’s legacy after being converted Calvin never wanted to be famous but he’s one of the most famous reformers who’s ever lived also among the Reformers Calvin was not very nocturnally controversial but today as dr. Nathan boosted session history history class just mentioned the name Calvin or Calvinism in an American Church and you’ll probably start a fist fight so who was John Kallis is there anything that various rumors some of those vicious rumors that we’ve heard about him and what can we learn from happening let’s see if we can least partially answer those questions this morning we’re going to talk about Calvin’s license for segments his early life his birth ministry in Geneva is ministry in Strasbourg and then his second ministry in Geneva that’s great before you want on work on thank you for the faithful man um of course just a man but one that you put your spirit in in that you you got to pray that you may encourage us and instruct us this morning as we look back on this man in life if you consider his faithfulness to the scriptures consider the great value of your word helping to be able to teach it I pray that your work among your people in Jesus name Amen all right so we’ll start with Calvin’s upbringing John Calvin or Jean Cowan was born on July 10th 1509 and oil in the north of France to a middle-class family you think of Calvin being in Switzerland but actually he was French going to France so he’s born in 1509 four perspective at this time Luther had just started lecturing in Wittenberg University and Zwingli was serving as a priest and glaring you definitely have to business John Calvin’s father had a position in the Catholic Church as a secretary and initially groomed Calvin for a career in the priesthood later Weber Galvin’s daddy changes mine and he thought that law would be a more promising and more lucrative profession for a son though he had his son pursue a law career recall that who his father had thought the same way Calvin however did not drop out a lot for first that he did inherit and then in the universities of overall and skirt borsch in central France and he attained his law license in 1532 while at university though guess what kind of scholars Calvin encountered there doing this was ramen from Renaissance humanists are all about humanities and this caused this was an influence on Calvin who’s called Calvin to learn coin a three the language of New Testament and become friends with a certain humanist Nicholas hop this friendship proved faithful because top who was head at the college Memorial in Paris gave a speech in 1533 calling for reform and purification of the Catholic Church and grant her Frances a predominantly Catholic interior but cut called for reform and this sparked an uproar top was denounced as a heretic as pops friend and associate Calvin that had to go into height now what exactly Calvin came to see when he was actually saved it’s hard to tell more with the humanists as album came to no the Scriptures that here’s something Calvin does say though about a conversions later in his commentary on the song collector appear Calvin and commissary on the song to the pursuit of a law license I endeavoured faithfully to apply myself obedience to the will of my father but God by the secret guidance of his providence at length gave a different directions my course at first since I was too obstinately devote devoted to superstitions of popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire God by a sudden converse subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame which was more ardent plus Madison might have been expected from one at my early period of life having this life having us received some case and knowledge of true godliness I was immediately inflamed with so intent to desire to make progress there in that although I did not all forget to leave off other cities i EF pursued them with less argument so he wanted to learn more about the scriptures Calvin found himself racing from the Catholic Church and declaring himself Protestant but just at that time 1333 1535 persecution was heating up in France against the product and we later know these Protestant a Huguenot in 1534 so was the affair of the placards in which Protestants some Protestants sort of anonymous placards or signs in various cities attacking the Catholic Mass and this provoked Catholic theory in Calvin along with many other products needed to flee France he ended up going to Basel in Switzerland which in 1535 was firmly report see recall 1535 was also the days of a certain Anabaptist rebellion in germ the most durable rebellion that’s where a bunch of Anabaptist radicals seized the city set up a theocratic Kingdom perhaps practice practice polygamy and all of Europe was in order a long over Protestantism because it was Tiger Bay and was particularly high throughout Europe even the King of France began to persecute Protestant not just because of his placard thing but because of this rebellion very severely so the young scholar Calvin one to defend the Reformation against the notion that it’s adherent thoughts radical rebellion and he also wants to present in a clear and organized way the doctrine of the Reformers Calvin therefore wrote and has published the first edition of his most famous work the Institute of the Christian religion originally the Institute’s were only six chapters and small enough to fit in a coat pocket which was Calvin of desire because he wanted people to be able to read it and then pass it along equally and this first edition also included a letter to the King of France to miss preface basically saying we’re not with who you think we are after several expansions in addition however this became much larger they became four books with 80 chapters in total so it’s not going to fit in your pocket anymore Salman first edition of the Institute was a surprise bestseller it was in Latin so every educated person in Europe could read it and all printed copies sold out in nine months despite the success Calvin did not wish to bask in the limelight after he met new people Calvin would not mention that he was the Institute’s author he didn’t want to draw attention to himself he preferred to just to sue his own study quietly Calvin returned to France in 1536 but a new edict from the king of boom Morse Calvin to leave again but where to go this time well for God’s mysterious sovereignty becomes very apparent in Calvin’s life Calvin intended to go to Strasbourg which today is only eastern border of France across from Germany so back then it was a city that was part of the Holy Roman Empire Strasbourg was a safe haven for Protestants the great Martin Buser have been leading the reform movement there that’s the 1520 however warfare in the area in which Calvin we need to travel to Strasbourg missed that he couldn’t go to the city directly Calvin needed to take the long way passing through Geneva town as Switzerland extreme southwest and right on a lake also called Lake Geneva it just so happens that Geneva has recently become a Protestant city itself due to missionaries from nearby bands we Phyllis with the situation in Geneva with complicated the city has converted really because of two groups there was a small group that genuinely wanted reform and a purification of the church while a much larger group a second group was mainly composed of middle-class citizens who wanted the economic advantages of breaking away with Rome or breaking away in Rome actually Geneva was a city well known for its worldly so the label Catholic or Protestant really wasn’t going to be a big deal for most of the people and wasn’t going to affect their behavior if being Protestant met its better trade relations and less taxes then so much the better will become broad aside that was the attitude in Geneva but the leader of the missionary group in Geneva was one William Barret now there’s some funny stories as it were in Sorel he was a real firecracker when you start preaching reform in a Catholic City sometimes people would physically attack but for real the hole is up one time Catholic priests tried to tackle Pharrell so Pharrell punched the priest in the face another time a Catholic priest shot a pistol at Pharrell while Pharrell was walking away from the priest the priest missed and Pharrell turned around and said your shots don’t scare me anyway Pharrell has suddenly become in charge of religious life in Geneva but he is not a great administrator it almost no supporting staff with him and he was working with a largely apathetic popular if true reform is going to happen in Geneva Pharrell really needed help but word reached Carell that the writer of the Institute was in town so I’m sure Calvin not wanting that news right you can imagine Pharrell thinking perfect a man with an astute mind who is jealous or form I must get him on the team the Pharrell arranged an interview with Calvin and what an interview at what here’s Calvin recounting it later also in his commentary on the fall in Lauren Calvin about distances in his commentary cope upon learning of my friends in Geneva Pharrell who burned with an extraordinary deal to advance the gospel immediately strained every nerve to detain me snapping after having learned that my heart was set upon devoting myself to private studies which I wish to keep myself free from other pursuits and finding that he gain nothing by entreaties he proceeded to utter an imprecation that God would curse my retirement and the tranquility of the studies which I thought if I should withdraw and refuse to give assistance when the necessity was so urgent by this invocation I was so stricken with terror the nice assistant from the journey which I’d undertaken sensible my national bashfulness and humidity I would not bring myself up bring myself under obligation to discharge any particular awful did you see what Pharrell did the occult other curse on Cowen this Calvin would not help may God curse all your private study if you refuse to help when there’s such a great need now doctor gluttonous points out his church history series this is not the best way to hire a decision pastor Warren G to recruit people in the ministry but it stopped Calvin in his tracks Calvin was overcome by the fear of God Alvin then started working with Pharrell to implement reform in Geneva this work was going to be very very hard Geneva there’s a picture of Geneva today Geneva like Zurich in Switzerland was a republic it was that is it was led by City Council rather than a tutor a king and the council had a number of truly reform minded people on it and these tasks Parral and calvin was coming up with a statement of faith and a set of recommendations for laws that would promote moral behavior in geneva though Calvin Borel complied and the City Council forbid activities like gambling is thinking of a moral song dancing was outlawed dancing was associated with raucous Catholic vegetables and like Mardi Gras and the city also imposed a curfew the people of Geneva mostly worldly people they did not like these new rules and they took their anger out on Calvin specifically yes why Calvin he’s not the leader of the movement there wasn’t he just to help her even though Calvin initially only agreed to lend aid not lead reform in Geneva visibility then his deal who made him stand out and he became the central reforming figure in the city it was Calvin not Pharrell who was preaching expositions from the New Testament be Sunday so the resentment of the people he didn’t like reform was most directed at their pastor John Calvin people regularly threw rocks at Calvin’s home and at his window people started naming their dogs Calvin so that they could materially vent anger on the preacher whenever they beat or yelled at their dog stupid Calvin bad dog it was a very very difficult situation thank the Lord that that’s not the situation in our churches today may God protect us from a cactus fish this very tense ministry in Geneva continued for three years but the City Council eventually changed it became made up of not Calvin supporters with Calvin opponents and these then instructed Calvinist Ralph to follow their and one of their directives was to use unleavened bread and community council felt like that would be a good idea but if it commands the two reformers growling Calvin bristled the City Council should not be telling what the church to do in church the following Sunday Calvin and Ferrell refused to serve communion to a certain or to certain people in the church because those people were obviously in sin they refused to serve their people communion now this would cause an issue part of the rules of the town were that everybody goes to church so if you are denied the Lord’s table that was very humiliating not to mention they were probably in the people some holding over Catholic notions on the mass of the Eucharist being necessary for one spiritual life how do you withhold the Eucharist from me I need that protecting the lord’s table from those unworthy cause an uproar a mob forms armed with pitchforks and weapons and they told Calvin and Ferrell that they a two and a half days to leave the city and this day did Ferrell left and he became a missionaries a nearby malicious help also in Switzerland where he successfully brought reform there over the preceding years was a Calvin Oh Calvin figured that God had released Calvin from ministry in Geneva and Calvin might as well do it intended all along go to shelter so in 1538 Calvin finally arrived instructor as the intended to do all along pecan was not done using Calvin and ministry and he wasn’t done with Calvin i de carne beuker was leading the christians in Strasbourg and soon after Calvin’s arrival future as Calvin if Calvin could be the pastor for a group of about 500 French refugees Protestant refugees who fled from Calvin agreed and so begins one of the happiest periods of Calvin’s life in contrast with a continual torture of ministering in Geneva here in Strasbourg Calvin instead ministered to motivated and sincere to a motivated an insincere group of believers who themselves had already suffered for their face in France doesn’t mean Calvin slack off in his work well if Strasbourg Calvin preached a sermon every day and he taught two sermons on Sunday also well Strasbourg Calvin published the second edition of the Institute and his first commentary the commentary on Romans additionally in 1540 Calvin got married Calvin married the widow is alleged or and he took her to kiss as his own Calvin and hit let’s have one child together but the baby was born prematurely and died after a few days I didn’t have any other children nonetheless their marriage was a happy marriage the end is tragically too soon nine years after they were married it’ll s fell ill and dies Calvin was deeply affected by her death he wrote to a friend at the time quote I had been bereaved for the best time of my life of one who is it has been so ordained was willingly had shared not only my poverty but also my death during her life she was a faithful helper of my ministry from her I never experienced the slightest engine both great relationship Calvin never remarried but that is some years later not in Strasburg while in Strasbourg all was happy it was the golden years of Calvin Calvin but while serving is Joffrey enjoying that ministry there Calvin experienced a most unexpected event Geneva invited Calvin to come back what how on earth why on earth let you see after Calvin left in April church attendance their decline more and more furthermore political circumstances have changed and Geneva needed somebody who could stand up against the Catholic we’re trying to reassert control over the city so the Geneva City Council turned to Calvin dear Calvin would you like to come back to Geneva I like Calvin’s initial response quote rather when I submitted that’s a hundred times into that cross on which I had to pare it daily a thousand times over so that was only his initial response Oh Calvin felt ultimately that the Lord was opening the door for him to go back to continue to work which Calvin had started which the Lord had initially called Calvin to do in Geneva the Calvin made a compromise Strasbourg would loan Calvin for six months to Geneva until Calvin had a better idea of what they’re kind of like six-month loan period I can get out if things are really bad again but this turned out to be providential once Calvin returned to Geneva in 1541 you would never be you remain there the rest of his life the story is that when Calvin returned to preach in the Geneva Church he did not say a word about how the people there had previously driven him away just started preaching work right where he had left off when they had vanished he were not too bad for Calvin initially when he returned he got permission from the City Council to establish a consistent essentially a governing body for the church made up of pastors and lay elders this consistory did not have any civil authority it was only authoritative over the church Calvin was again very vigorous when he returned to Geneva with sermons six or seven times a week each sermon was a little over one hour and Calvin use no notes while preaching we don’t think that Calvin was Biglia workaholic at one point after he returned to Geneva he petitioned the council court few were preaching engagements it was a little too much they said all right you can preached one sermon on Sunday seven – but that was only temporary they later brought back the whole require but what’s appreciated while in Geneva Calvin creates 2,000 sermons and he published several more commentary many of Calvin’s sermons actually survives today in his commentaries that’s basically what makes up the commentary the Geneva Church Dena stenographer in 1549 who helped Calvin publish his sermons as commentary which is not unlike what some preachers do today now while administering in Geneva this second time cowboy continued to correspond with all the Reformation leaders in Europe people like Martin Buser and Strasbourg Philipp Melanchthon and Germany he was Luther’s right-hand mandus ancestor in a way heinrich bullinger in zurich he was the successor to swingley calvin corresponding with all so ministry was laborious but better than the first time engineer until 1546 things changed again in 1546 when opposition begins to build against Calvin once more people felt like or some people felt like Calvin’s teaching and the moral rules which he came up with which the city enforce were to and they banded together so began a long struggle with a group that Calvin a group to which Calvin gave a special name the libertine probably like what happens in churches today when someone teaches on the holy life which Christians are actually called when they simply preach what the Bible says is required of a Christian many react and they accuse the preacher of legalism Bhosle proclaiming Christian Liberty this person condemned the pastor see what he’s doing is wrong when really these people are fighting simply for the right to be worldly Christian and this is exactly what was happening with the libertine began to oppose college they accused him of legalism when really they were just fighting for the right to be worldly creeps and The Libertines weren’t just common people many of them were from the most powerful families in the city very influential men so the the situation slowly began to deteriorate brick Alvin 1546 a citizen publicly criticized Calvin city council reacted by supporting his pastor enforcing that citizen’s repent of his slander publicly and to ask God for forgiveness this the person did but the episode the entire episode only inflamed hatred for Calvin even more later in 1546 the man who had invited Calvin back to Geneva Omni paren turned on Calvin and he became leader de Libertines further in 1547 someone placed a letter on the church pulpit threatening Calvin and the other pastors in Geneva with violence the City Council conducted an investigation they found the perpetrator who confessed to the crimes or confessed to that crime and others and was put to death but you can see the situation is getting quite tense for Calvin lots of opposition’s The Libertines continued to oppose and insult Calvin even after this incident and their influence grew in 1552 omni / n leaders The Libertines he became a part of the City Council in Calvin’s nearly died while protecting the Lord’s table the saurian M Eugene Oscar Haven recounts the showdown that took place in his book the face of the church a report a reformed perspective on its historical development listen to what officer Haven right he said the opposition soon made other plans to destroy or discredit the reformer one of these resulted in a direct confrontation between Calvin and the cow 200 that is the City Council the issue was the excommunication of Philibert Berkeley a the council secretary by the consistory of the Church of Geneva in 1551 and his dab solution by the state council in 1553 basically the church leadership said he’s excommunicated he’s unrepentant sin but the City Council says he does not deserve to be excommunicated he’s fine fellow so there’s this conflict the following Sunday in 1553 was communion calvin preached in st. peter’s and that the close of the sermon declared that he would never profane the sacrament by giving it to an excommunicated person over his head as calvin on the pulpit his emblem was set a heart inflamed a heart inflames outstrip or I’m sorry a heart aflame in an outstretched hand offered to God his name is mano Calvin famous motto was emboss on the dark red velvet pulpit cover soli Deo Gloria to the glory of God alone raising his voice and lifting up his hands he exclaimed in the words of Saint Chris awesome quote I will lay down my life before these hands give the sacred things of God to those who have been branded as his despisers uncool crowd of libertine Church forward to the table Calvin descending from the pulpit stood before the table with drawn sword a libertine cried quote they administer communion to us or you will die unquote his head thrown back and his arms extended over the sacred element calvin responded asset although they might cut off his arms shed his blood and take his life it would never force him to give holy things to the profane and dishonor the table of his god the crowd was stunned a long silence followed the dramatic moment here in mining the city syndics opposed to calvin quietly ordered virtually a not to approach the table ask the crowd was through phase the report’s theodore beza Calvin’s accessory communion was celebrated quote in profound silence and under solemn off as if the deity himself had been visibly present a minor uncouth isn’t that awesome dude resemblance Calvin was ready to be sent for the glory of God and the libertine back down that day nevertheless Calvin soon felt that the battle for Geneva was lost it submitted his resignation to the City Council in July 1553 however they were not accepted as much as the libertine the majority of the City Council hated Calvin they knew it would cause an uproar to banish him again so here is Calvin again enduring torment dying daily continually persecuted continually slandered trying to be faithful to his calling the feeling like ministry in Geneva is just doing it Calvin had his supporters but those who had the political power or his enemy enter Michael Servetus if you’ve heard that name before servetus you’ve probably heard it from some anti Calvinists using a Servetus as proof that Calvin was a terrible person and then we should totally discount Calvin’s teaching and ministry if you look up means having to do with Calvin it will talk about how servetus was murdered by Calvin as is Calvin himself put the dagger in Servetus I hope you’ll see in a moment that such thinking or such statements are totally unfounded they do not line up with historical record ironically those services used to discredit Calvin today it was actually Michael Servetus who provided the vindication for Calvin and his reforming ministry before the people of Geneva at that time who was Michael Servetus oh he was a Spanish physician who based on his own personal studies the Bible was convinced that the Trinity was something the Roman Church under Constantine had singly made up he did not believe in the Trinity he believed Christ was only a created being he also opposed and some baptism so we again see the weird connection between believers baptism and heresy why swimming a heretics embrace credo baptism I don’t but Javita you believe these things he’s not just a heresy believer he was a heresy teacher he wrote and published several works attacking the Trinity Calvin had some correspondence with the reader and Calvin tried to persuade to Venus of the error of his teaching but servetus was a moveable he was convinced of his own stance and he instead only continually attacked Calvin and Calvin’s teaching eventually Calvin stopped responding to services letters but when Savita said he wanted to come visit that is harass Calvin in Geneva Calvin Warren Servetus that Calvin could not guarantee Savita the safety remember 1/16 this is a time period where church and state are intimately connected both for the Catholic Church and for the new Protestant churches if you’re going to be a notorious heretic you’re going to be executed that’s just what happened it was very rare for a false teacher not to be killed and even then he was usually banished on pain of death all Servetus was in France he was arrested by the Catholics he was tried for heresy and he was condemned to death but Servetus escaped his imprisonment and for whatever reason he came to Geneva to be too soon recognized though engineer was arrested and considering his history with Calvin’s are considering services history with Calvin Calvin knew that Judas is teaching or he knew what history distance teaching was and he called for the city to recognize and condemn Servetus as a heretic in the City Council whoever did not like Calvin not once Apollo Calvin’s advise doing so they thought would give Calvin more credibility as one standing up for the dachsies they wanted to reject Calvin advice regarding servetus as a way to embarrass Calvin but Rodriguez was too obviously a notorious heretic you can’t deny the Trinity and somehow be Orthodox the City Council therefore dragged out the heresy trial up servetus in an effort to annoy Calvin the council wrote to several prominent city’s prominent Protestant cities throughout Europe asking the leaders there what they should do with this man Servetus what do you recommend we do with the heretic servetus by asking for advice in this way if the leaders of other cities called for services death and condemnation the council could at least make it look like they were following these other leaders and not countless if the other leaders however said that Servetus shouldn’t be put to death it shouldn’t be condemned then the council would have a way to more legitimately opposed Calvin see they didn’t agree with your advice well it turns out that every city said the same thing every Protestant city even some Catholic cities that they can solder wrote back and said Servetus is a false teacher let him be condemned let him be executed so reluctantly the council finally decided to do just that they condemned servetus and they sentenced him to be burned at the stake now throughout this prolonged trial calvin tried to get Servetus to recant visiting him in the prison talking with him but Servetus refused even after the condemnation calvin requested a more compact a form of execution a beheading instead of a burning but burning is custom for what you do to heretics and the council rejected calvin requests severe descent was executed by burning on october 27 15:33 mr. vedas trial much to the chagrin of the libertine greatly enhance Calvin’s reputation among the people Calvin seems to the peoples neva a proven and those defender of Orthodox Christianity the libertine opposition to Calvin therefore began to decline between 1554 and 1555 libertine influence got weaker and weaker as French Huguenot refugees who were supporters of Calvin were granted full citizenship in Geneva the City Council soon found itself made up of more and more allies of Calvin and finally The Libertines disgraced themselves 1555 a drunken mob of Libertines tried to set fire to a house but they were caught doing so most of these live became fled the city and those that stayed were arrested tried and executed so the opposition at Calvin’s ministry finally was totally defeated Calvin gained the support of the people in Geneva and the support of the City Council for the rest of his life in this last portion of Calvin’s ministry Calvin continued to preach and write and it became particularly concerned with taking the gospel to other land especially Calvin homeland of France so Calvin started a primary and secondary school in Geneva with the goal of training children and true doctrine and training ministers to preach the gospel Calvin’s church and the school to set up in Geneva indeed trained and supported many ministers who took reformed theology into France into the Netherland and even into England and Scotland one of these reformed ministers was a man by the name of John Knox who had fled the persecution of Bloody Mary in England but later returned to Scotland and would become quite influential in bringing about Reformation there Calvin became increasingly ill to attend in his life but he never stopped working actually when Calvin thought he was going to die in 1559 he worked even harder to finish one last edition of the Institute and that is the addition that we have today because Calvin didn’t die he was able to finish the Institute he actually lived seven more years after that time Calvin eventually did die though on May 27th 1564 at the age of 54 before we give the final word on Calvin’s life let’s briefly be to our moment to consider the theology of Calvin Institute the final version of the Institute is a recent PDF version you which you can download for free on the internet it’s 1,200 pages pretty massive though Calvin did write a shorter summary of the Institute’s called truths for all times this shorter summary work is less than 100 pages so if you want to get familiar with Calvin’s theologies you can read the shorter one I’m going to have the time to the longer one but if we look at the Institute certain themes stand out and seeing these themes as we talk about them you’ll notice they intersect with the Reformation SOLAS that we’ve mentioned and now since pastors even preaching through which we’re just think there’s a Calvinist theology well first of all scripture has ultimate authority this is Sola scriptura the scriptures are the believers ultimate authority standard doesn’t mean though that Calvin didn’t appreciate your history or he didn’t appreciate the interpretations of fellow preachers Calvin often quoted the church fathers in his works to show that others interpreted the Bible in the same way that Calvin did but still scriptures the authority another distinctive the Trinity thirdly the mind Providence and predestination ah this is what we always think of when we think of Calvin yeah collection sovereignty predestination well of course swingley and Luther and the other reformers say affirm this doctrine as well God is sovereign over all things including man’s salvation God’s will alone is what faith but Calvin wanted to explain this doctrine and more than just our aegis he really thought as the comforting bedrock for the whole Christian life sobbing grace is not only important for salvation and for evangelism but it also has to do with sanctification trials persecution etc well some today accused Calvin of holding to double predestination that is that God elects people not only to salvation in heaven but also to condemnation and health God elects them to both places now Calvin did make some statements does make some statements that sound like double predestination but it’s never explicitly stated in his Institute and it’s likely not what he believed or taught double predestination like hyper Calvinism it seems to be the logical conclusion of God sovereignty if God is in control of everything that I’m ultimately not responsible for my sin or even my own disbelief and condemnation of Hell God after all wouldn’t let me do anything differently it’s not my fault well this cannot be because this contradicts Scripture here’s actually a good a good example of Luther’s concept of the theology of the cross we must stick to what God revealed about himself in his word rather than simply rely on our own ideas about God double predestination wouldn’t the gate God’s right to judge the Bible makes clear that man does have a free or culpable will that somehow paradoxically exists with God’s full sovereignty when we sin or when we disbelieve God is just to judge us judge us because we thin as James says in the thinnest letter in the Bible God is not tempted nor does he tempt anyone God does not make us do evil but he allows us to do evil and even to reject him he allows many to get exactly what they want and choose which is a life and an eternity without God but for the elect God mercifully reveals himself so that those elect to and embrace God God gives them sakes God makes them alive and in this way God gives all the glory to himself soli Deo Gloria if I’m safe you’re safe it’s God who did it all I’m condemned you’re condemned it’s I and you who did it all God is just to condemn us if we do not believe even though he allows my evil decision are evil decisions as part of his glorious display of wrathful justice God does not force anyone to sin or to go to hell so now double predestination is is not what we should associate with Calvin another misconception about Calvin when it comes to sovereignty and predestination and election is that Calvin came up with an emphasized tulip or the five points of Calvinism as we know them today I even though Calvin did affirm and teach those points as part of the understanding of God’s sovereignty the five points of Calvinism actually came after Calvin they were really a later response of Calvin’s followers to the rise of Arminianism the Synod of dort in 1618 is 1619 so about 50 years after Calvin was a discussion of Arminianism versus Calvinism in the Netherlands the Armenians were followers of Jacob Arminius a theologian who lived from sixty-two 16:09 who came up with five points attacking Calvinism and the Calvinists simply responded to these five points with five points of their own and this is what we know as to the Sonata loved or ended up condemning Arminianism and exile exiling the armenian pastors that were in the netherlands when Arminianism survives is spread in certain places and it is still embraced by many denominations today so tulip was the what Calvin taught but he didn’t emphasize those five points he didn’t come up with us those were from his followers later in the Netherlands one last thing to say about predestination many today who oppose the teaching of God’s sovereignty of salvation do so partly because they think that otherwise Christian missionaries deal will be destroyed if God is the only one who’s responsible for salvation that why tell anybody about God well it is certainly true that the flesh will often try to use God’s sovereignty as an excuse to sin and one of those sins abuse and not tell others about God but that is the fault of the flesh none of the truth really when god’s sovereignty is correctly understood that doctrine encourages evangelism rather than discourages it because you know and when you talk to people about Christ your work is not in vain God will save some of his elect through you and through the church God will accomplish his purposes so you know your work is not in vain by the way it’s telling that the evangelistic and reforming zeal that we see sweeping Europe in the 1500s in the creative Reformation was led primarily almost totally by those who believe in God’s sovereignty in salvation indeed throughout most of church history many if not most of the zealous missionaries in church history we’re firm believers in God’s sovereignty in salvation so there really is no connection between God’s election and lots of missionaries via so we know Calvin for his teaching of God’s sovereignty in salvation but with a few other distinct this calvin top original since we all have inherited a since in corruption from adam he taught justification by faith it was clear however that those who truly are believing will display fruits of faith that is they will live holy lives he denied papal authority he denounced the use of icons in the church he talked that the true church was the invisible church not simply those who identify themselves as Christian they were the ones who got it actually changed and Calvin all only two only taught two sacraments baptism and the Lord’s Supper now Calvin like the other reformers held to infant baptism we’ve already talked about that a little bit but he held a unique position when it came to the Lord’s table he held the spiritual present view just rehearse the Lutheran’s no let’s go back to the Catholic Catholics believed in transubstantiation that bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Jesus Lutheran’s held to consubstantiation the bread are the elements remain bread and wine but they also become the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ is physically present in the elements when there was wing Lee’s view and this is a view of the majority of the Reformers the memorial view which is Christ’s physical presence is not there at all these elements the bread and the wine are only symbolic of Jesus and they help us remember what you did and allow us to identify with Jesus then you have Calvin’s view the spiritual presence view it’s kind of like a middle ground between the Lutheran’s and those wing Lian’s many reformers would say that the Lord’s table or the Eucharist is simply a memorial in which you declare your you’re subscribing to the gospel these are symbols of gospel truth and baptism one declares I have died with Christ and I’m confident I’ll be raised with him we’re at the Lord’s table you declare I have wholly taken Christ in I’m sustained by Christ every day this by food and I will dine with him in glory but Calvin said that there was something further there’s something in the symbol itself that nourishes you I don’t know how he’d say but I don’t believe that God would give us a symbol of nourishment being sustained by food without actually spiritually nourishing us in some special way it can’t be that these are just an empty symbol a symbol of nourishment without actually imparting any nourish that was Calvin thinking it’s a subtle distinction and one that many of the other reformers didn’t think was necessarily wrong they felt like it was compatible with a memorial view okay sure I can say I’m being spiritually nourished by Christ during communion but I’m also being spiritually nourished by Christ outside of communion so they weren’t they weren’t upset at all with Calvin specific stance on the Lord’s table this is why I say that Calvin was actually not that controversial doctrinally compared to maybe other reformed theologians at the time he found some common ground with the Lutheran they said that Christ’s physical presence was part of communion and he found common ground with the Reformed creatures like Zwingli who saw though it suffer as only a memorial this is not to say that Calvin was not well respected or that he was not influential he was his Institute’s were read and championed by many across Europe and his church in school in Geneva trained and supported many ministers throughout Western Europe so these are some of this think of evident in Calvin’s Institute’s Calvin also wrote commentaries and most of the Bible and those commentaries he held to a literal hermeneutic except on certain prophetic or apocalyptic paths for example Calvin interpreted the promises of a restored prosperous Kingdom of Israel that are made a name is nine as symbolic explaining that God had to use physical language of a coming prosperous Kingdom because the people were not able to understand greater spiritual reality Calvin therefore like most of the other reformers of this period was a non millennialist they did not believe there would be a literal Kingdom before the total last event of Revelation he believed that Christ’s Kingdom was the spiritual one there would be no future literal Kingdom on earth and the tribulations of Revelation were only symbolic of various trials the church has gone through or will go through before the second coming of Christ now I love you Calvin but we’re going to disagree with your interpretation there need to have some working – it’s a hermeneutic but now to wrap up Calvin’s life Calvin kept preaching and teaching until he could physically do so no longer February 6 1560 for Calvin preached his last Sunday sermon he was so weak that he had to be carried to the pulpit on his bed that was his last sermon but Calvin ready to meet is God died of illness a few months later on May 27 1564 according to his wishes Calvin was buried in a common Wayne casket in an unmarked grave so that there would be no posthumous hero-worship he was buried in the cemeteries a plain ballet in Geneva in the nineteenth century despite Calvin’s wishes a stone was added to the cemetery at the spot where Calvin is thought to be buried he looked Calvin up on Wikipedia you can see that stone but that site is actually uncertain we don’t know if Calvin is actually buried under there so again an irony to the present from which Calvinism is a well-known term Calvin preferred that his name would fade into the background he wanted an unmarked grave didn’t want people to worship him at you no you’re not sinning if you use the term Calvinism or Calvinists the Calvin would want you to be thinking about the truth that goes beyond his own theology or ministry in this way Calvin reminds us that she really was just just another proclaimer of the Divine Word just as you and I are he was just a man like all the Reformers Calvin wanted the eyes away from himself and toward the glorious and where they Lord Jesus may we maintain the same emphasis in our own life as we speak to give the treasure of the Scriptures to others the treasure of the gospel the treasure of God themselves that’s it for Calvin questions or comments on Calvin’s life and ministry have a few minutes and the questions are Connor why do they believe they’re only two sacraments hopefully answer question why do they believe why does it mostly performance believe they’re only two sacraments of what standards do they apply well if we go back to Luther and I think there’s a similar approach to swingley in Calvin there’s they’re so they’re holding so Sola scriptura they’re going to going back to the scriptures and they’re saying what sacraments actually come from the Bible and as they did this as Luca did too specifically he said all right these other sacraments aren’t bad but just not scriptural the only Scott sacraments that are given in the Bible are baptism and the Lord’s Supper and Luther also highlighted that these were clear gospel symbols the gospel is very evident in these two rituals and so therefore they’re the only rituals that we’re going to be doing in the church and I understand that there are some today who believe that deep washing is another sacrament but the Reformers didn’t do that so yeah it altima Lee comes back to the scripture yeah Danny good question did Calvin believe in replacement theology where the church replaces Israel I am a little hesitant to say that he did click I can’t quite remember though that would be consistent with their hermeneutics that I described to you you didn’t believe there would be a literal Kingdom for Israel it was a non millennialist so there is a chance perhaps a good chance that he was replacing a theologian though I and not sure I’d have to double-check okay oh boy yeah okay thanks Bill just to repeat your comment early in his Institutes apparently he does say that the church replaces Israel but later soon as in his Institute she says that they the church does not so as you say it appears to be an issue that he himself was kind of struggling with Rob that’s great let me repeat that I’m just really recording but a good quote from Calvin even when he was old and sick people telling him you should stop laboring so much in his study that he said no I can’t do that unless the Lord find me idle when he returned well that’s it for today what we know based on lessons day that Calvin and his church in his school to help train ministers they brought the gospel to other parts of Europe like the Netherlands like France but also England and Scotland and Reformation theology is going to grab hold there that’s what I want to talk to you about next week we look at how Reformation unfolded in England and in Scotland and it’s going to be a little different then in other places in Europe let’s close in prayer our God we thank you for men like John Calvin these reformers who went before us their successors their associates their supporters God we have inherited a great treasure from that love for scriptures a confidence in the scriptures that’s ultimately what all these all the history points it’s back to God not to great tradition but to your word your word is truth it is great it is our foundation I hopeless to understand your word help us to keep seeking it help us to share it God we thank you that you are sovereign in salvation because there’s no way we could come to you unless you did it all oh god that’s also an encouragement to our evangelism help us not to be a great help us not to be anxious because you go before just like you went before the people of Israel into the Promised Land in preparing the conquest for them so you do even in evangelism you prepare the heart you’re the one who changes somebody so that as we use the means that you for danger word our work is not in vain so use this guy as your witnesses help us to be obedient to you in this way please people in our paths help us to be proactive and starting conversations that that could lead to spiritual things so that people might believe might come to know you and be saved pray that you would continue to edify Calvary today with the preaching the pastor and through the worship that they have together in Jesus name commit